Sure the Tour de France is the grandaddy of all bike races, but the Giro D’Italia—Italy’s answer to Le Tour—is only a few years younger and has more of a Canadian connection, with Canuck cyclist Ryder Hesjedal having claimed the winner’s trophy in 2012.
Hesjedal is back this year, heading the Garmin-Sharp team. Here’s what he’ll be up against as he winds and climbs his way through Ireland—where the Giro begins—and across Italy.